


First Gift

by CaptRocket



Series: Fall for Unit Bravo [6]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Photographs, So much fluffy goodness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27485533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptRocket/pseuds/CaptRocket
Summary: A short early in Emma & Nate's relationship, Nate comes to take over protecting Emma and brings her a gift.
Relationships: Detective/Nathaniel "Nate" Sewell, Female Detective/Nathaniel "Nate" Sewell
Series: Fall for Unit Bravo [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2000119
Kudos: 7





	First Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Another little fluff short featuring Emma & Nate. This takes place shortly after the end of Book 2, early in their relationship.
> 
> Thanks for reading & hope you enjoy!

Arriving home that evening, Emma found Mason sitting on her sofa with his feet propped up in the coffee table in front of him. His arms stretched out across the top of the sofa. When I entered my apartment, he leaned his head back and looked at me through a cloud of smoke. 

“What’s up, Ems?”

Frowning, she hung up her keys and pushed the door shut with her foot. Shifting the grocery sack from one arm to the other, she locked the door and proceeded towards the kitchen. “Letting yourself in now, are we, Mason?”

He crossed his ankles as he lifted his hands to twine his fingers behind his neck. “How else was I going to get in? You were at work.”

Setting the cloth bag down, Emma began to retrieve the groceries that she had purchased prior to coming home. “Usually, you wait until the owner gets home. You typically don’t break inside.”

He smirked as he blew out a stream of smoke. “I didn’t break in. I had a key.”

Frowning, Emma looked over the kitchen counter. “Where did you get my apartment key from?”

“Adam thought we should have one when we need to watch over you,” he said with a wink. 

Sighing, Emma shook her head. Once again, Adam decided to do something without her approval because he thought he knew better than she did. “Great,” she muttered, continuing to remove produce from the bag. “Well, since you’ve been stalking me apparently. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

“Hungry?” he asked, kicking his feet off the table onto the floor. Standing up, he shook his head. “For food? No.” He narrowed the distance between them and stood on the other side of the kitchen counter from her. “Maybe something else.”

Rolling her eyes, she turned her back to him and began to prepare her supper. “Can you put that thing out? I really don’t want my apartment smelling of cigarette smoke.”

She turned back around to find her apartment empty. Looking around the small apartment, there was no sigh of Mason anywhere in her apartment. Even the smell of his cigarette had somehow dissipated in his departure. Blowing out a heavy breath, Emma shook her head. It had only been a few months since meeting Unit Bravo and learning of their secret, but it still amazed her with their abilities. 

“Well, I guess if he’s gone then I can play music,” she said to herself. 

She turned on the stereo and press play on the CD player. The soft, classical music began to play through the speakers that were scattered across the small apartment. She closed her eyes and allowed the piano to slowly wrap around her body. Entering her bedroom, she took off her boots and proceeded to change out of her dress into a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt. 

Returning to the kitchen, Emma put the remainder of her groceries up and went to sit down on the sofa. Pulling the thick knitted blanket off the back of the sofa, she wrapped herself in it as she retrieved the book sitting on the table beside her. With just the small table lamp on, she fell into the words of the book she was reading and the gentle music playing from the stereo.

Losing track of time, she was startled by the sound of knocking at her door. Tossing the heavy blanket off her body, she walked over to the door, covering her mouth as she yawned as she pulled the door open.

“Did I wake you?” Nate asked as he stood in the doorway with his hands behind his back.

“No, you didn’t.” Shaking her head, she smiled as she stepped to the side to let him in. “Even if I was asleep, I’m happy to see you.”

“Good,” he said entering the dark apartment. “Mason just left, and it was my turn to sit with you.”

Pushing the door shut, Emma locked the door before turning back around to look at him. Before she could say anything, Nate was pressing her back against the door. His hands on her waist as his lips claimed hers for a long, passionate kiss. Emma barely could stand on her own if it wasn’t for Nate holding her tightly against the door.

Prying himself away, his eyes met hers. “I’ve missed you.”

Licking her swollen lips, Emma raised her hands to cup his chin in her palms. “I can see that.”

Lowering his head, he placed his forehead against hers and smiled. “I brought you something.”

“You did? What is it?”

Pulling away, Nate took her hand and lead her back to the sofa. Sitting down, he pulled Emma down to sit beside him on the sofa and held out the neatly wrapped box that he had been hiding behind his back since arriving. 

“Felix helped me with this. I was going to give you mine, but he said he could make me a copy of it so we both could have one.”

Emma held the box in her hand, studying it. The shiny blue wrapping paper had a glittery silver ribbon tied around it. It looked too pretty to open it. “What’s the occasion?” she asked, lifting her eyes away from the box to look at him. “Did I miss something?”

He chuckled as he ran his fingers through her hair to brush it off her shoulder. “No. I didn’t know I needed a reason to give you a gift.” Suddenly, his smile faded as he drew back slightly. “Or, did I do something wrong? It’s been a long time since I – “

Shaking her head, she placed her index finger over his lips to stop him. “That’s not what I meant, Nate. I meant that I feel bad that I don’t have something for you, too.”

Placing his hand over hers, he kissed her fingertips. “You are a gift to me, Emma.”

Emma lifted herself up on her knees and moved so she could straddle his lap. Setting the box down, she placed her hands on his shoulders and stared at him, smiling. “You’re too good for me, Nathaniel Sewell.” Kissing him gently, she pulled away and looked down into his warm brown eyes. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he said, picking up the box to hand it to her again. “Now open it.”

Nodding, she carefully untied the bow and set it to the side. Her fingers worked carefully over the tape holding the wrapping paper, taking her time to peel it apart.

“I bet you’re like this at Christmas, too,” Nate teased as he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her on his lap. “You probably take forever to open anything.”

She nodded. “I didn’t get a lot of gifts growing up. Dad’s been gone since I was two and Mom was never around much so there were no birthday parties or celebrations.” She shrugged slightly. “I mean, my nannies and I would do things, but it really wasn’t big. Maybe a couple of gifts that mom would send me from wherever she was. Always something practical like books or a new coat.” Holding the brown cardboard box between her hands, she lifted her eyes to look at him. “I guess that’s why I get a little depressed this time of year. I see everyone else enjoying their time with family and friends.”

“But I saw you celebrate Halloween,” he said, staring intently at her. 

“Honestly, I should have studied drama instead of law enforcement,” Emma said. “I’m a much better actress than I am detective.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Emma,” he said as he kissed her on the nose. “You’re an amazing woman.” He moved his hand to cover one of hers. “Now let me start showing you just how amazing you are. My first gift to you.”

Her head slightly nodded as she straightened her back to lift the cardboard top. Peeling away the tissue paper, she felt tears well up in her eyes as she stared down at the silver picture frame. Her fingers moved across the glass covering the photograph as she smiled.

“I didn’t know you got this, Nate,” she said. “I thought it burned up when the Trappers destroyed the carnival.”

He shook his head as he looked down at the picture frame. “Maybe not the most memorable of nights but the photograph was. One of the techs found it when they were searching the debris and Felix got ahold of it for us.” He smiled with a little laugh. “I didn’t understand him but he said something about copying it so we both could have one.”

Her eyes lifted to meet his. “You have one, too?”

Nodding, he said, “It sits on the table beside my bed along with the small stuffed rabbit you won me.”

Emma fell against him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly as she embraced him. Placing his hands on her back, Nate held her against his chest and nuzzled the curve of her neck to her shoulder. Tears began to soak into his shirt that he wore but he didn’t care as long as she was happy. Or was she?

“Please tell me those are happy tears, Emma. It’d break my heart if they were anything but,” he said.

“They are.”

Squeezing her tighter against his body, he kissed her neck gently. “Good.”

Nate could have remained like that forever, holding her tight against his body as she hugged him but he knew it couldn’t last must longer. “Come now. You need to get some sleep. You have work tomorrow.”

She shook her head, refusing to let go. “I’m good,” she said.

Reluctantly, Nate urged her to sit up and release her hold on him. “My dearest, Emma. If you don’t get some sleep, you’ll be of no use at work. And I really don’t want Adam changing schedules because he thinks I keep you up all night.”

“We could give him a reason why you keep me up all night,” she said, playfully. 

Even though they haven’t taken that step forward, Nate felt it was still too early in their relationship. Although, feeling her warm body against his as it were was not helping him squash the desire he had for her. When they took that next step in their relationship, he wanted to make sure it was perfect. 

“Maybe so but not too night.” 

Moving slightly, he lifted himself up to his feet. Keeping her wrapped around his body, he carried her into the bedroom and lowered her down to her feet. Taking the picture from her, he sat the frame down on the bedside table and began to pull back the sheets from her bed. 

“Sleep. I’ll be here all-night keeping watch so nothing should bother you.”

Emma gave him her best pout but failed miserably when he leaned forward and kissed her puckered lips. 

“Bed now.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“I can be when I want to,” Nate said as he watched her crawl into the bed. Covering her up, he kissed her on the forehead. “Good night, my dearest.”

She curled up on her side, slowly closing her eyes. “Good night, Nathaniel.”

Walking to the door of her bedroom, he paused momentarily to look back over his shoulder at the now sleeping woman and smiled. He promised himself that her life would be much different now that she was part of his. The photograph was just the start.


End file.
